The Catering Department

We cater, over two campuses, for eight hundred pupils aged from 2 to 18 years,
plus an additional one hundred and fifty staff. As well as the day-to-day catering
operation, we also cater for match teas, weddings, formal dinners and charity balls,
barbecues, garden parties and dinners from three to 300 guests. We have a very
hard working and dedicated catering team of around 25 and we work with
predominately fresh, local ingredients, delivered daily. During the School holidays
we cater for residential music courses and an overseas language school and the
post is not therefore limited to School term times only. We currently hold five stars
in the food safety scheme.

The Role

• Assist the chefs with basic food preparation, including beverages;

• Prepare the serveries and dining area for service, and serving as required;

• Washing up, clearing of tables and work surfaces and general cleaning of

kitchen/dining areas, including emptying of bins;

• Assist in the checking-in and storing of supplies;

• Keep HACCP records, such as for refrigerators and food temperatures;

• Ensure the standards of cleanliness of the work areas, refectory, dining areas

and meeting rooms are of a very high standard at all times;

• To ensure that pupils, staff, guests and visitors are given a prompt and efficient

service and expectations are consistently exceeded;

• Ensure all tasks are performed to the highest required hygiene standards.
  

Person Specification

• Be customer focused at all times and provide excellent customer service;

• Have a can-do attitude and be flexible to sudden changes;

• Previous catering experience is desirable, although not essential, and training

will be provided.

• Have very good organisational and time-keeping skills;

• Enjoy working and interacting with people and be a good communicator;

• Be very good at multitasking;

• Have high standards of work and very good personal presentation;

• Be a very good team player, reliable and trustworthy.

Terms and Conditions

We are looking for a full time Catering Assistant and a Saturday morning Catering
Assistant to join our excellent catering team.

The full time Catering Assistant will work Monday to Saturday from 12.00pm to
7.00pm, with a day off in the week. When there is no Saturday School, the hours
will be fulfilled from Monday to Friday.

The Saturday morning Catering Assistant will work, on a zero hour contract, from
6.30am to 2.30pm for approximately 25 Saturdays per year with other shifts
regularly available.

The place of work could be either the Senior School or Preparatory School.

The rate of pay is £11.07 per hour from September 2023 with Saturdays paid at
time and a half.

Application Process

Applications will only be accepted from candidates completing the application form
in full. CVs will not be accepted in substitution for completed application forms.

Covering letters of application should state particular skills and attributes you can
bring to Sutton Valence School and a brief details of how you fit the position,
including specific details of skills, experience and achievements.

Do not meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women and
people of colour are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single
qualification. At SVS we are dedicated to building a diverse and inclusive
workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your past experience does not
align perfectly with every qualification or experience in the information provided,
we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or
other roles.

Applicants will be required to undergo child protection screening appropriate to the
post, including checks with past employers and the Disclosure and Barring Service
(DBS), and a declaration of medical fitness. It is an offence to apply for this role if
the applicant is barred from engaging in regulated activity relevant to
children.

Further information about Sutton Valence School can be found on our website.

To apply please complete the application and monitoring form and email it with a
covering letter to [email protected] or post it for the attention of the Assistant
Bursar, Sutton Valence School, North Street, Sutton Valence, Kent ME17 3HL.

Closing date: Friday 1st September 2023

Sutton Valence School is an equal opportunities employer.

Please note: we reserve the right to appoint prior to the closing date.

Benefits to Working at SVS

Pension
The School operates a contributory pension scheme which is open to all members of
staff. Support Staff are offered the opportunity to join a defined contribution (DC)
scheme, and currently offer two levels of contribution. With Option One, the
employee contributes five per cent of their salary, and the School contributes three
per cent. With Option Two, the employee contributes seven per cent and the School
contributes fourteen per cent.

School Meals
All staff are provided with excellent lunches with no charge.

Electric Vehicle Scheme
All staff are offered the opportunity to purchase an Electric Vehicle (EV) as part of
an HMRC approved Salary Sacrifice scheme; Octopus Electric Vehicle. Basically this
is much like a cycle-to-work, but for electric vehicles. You give up some of your
gross monthly pay for a new EV, and can save up to 40% on the monthly cost

Benenden Healthcare Membership
All staff are welcome to join the Benenden Healthcare Scheme. The cost of
joining Benenden is currently £11.90 per month; the School pays up to 80 per
cent of contributions, based upon length of service. Further Information is
available from the Bursary.

Fitness Facilities
All staff may use the Senior School’s fitness facilities at designated times.
These facilities include an indoor, heated, six-lane swimming pool, a fully
equipped air-conditioned Strength and Conditioning Suite, and a
Cardiovascular Suite, as well as a large sports hall available for a multitude of
sports.

Community and Environment
We are very proud of the positive and supportive community we have and staff
often comment on this being one of the best aspects of working at SVS. This,
coupled with a beautiful physical environment both at School and in the
immediate vicinity, make it a highly desirable place to work.

Free Parking
Both the Senior and Preparatory School sites have free, ample parking available
for staff. Both sites have allocated accessible bays.

Press Reader
The School has a subscription to Press Reader which allows anyone on the SVS
networks access to over 7,000 news publications from across the world in
different languages.

The School

Sutton Valence School consists of Sutton Valence School (SVS) and Sutton Valence
Preparatory School (SVPS).

Whilst not fiercely selective on entry, its value added statistics are impressive. For
those subjects Sutton Valence offers at A Level, the School aims to be in the top
10% nationally for adding value, managing to bring out the academic potential in
every pupil. Equally impressive is the breadth of education on offer, which at GCSE
is tailored to each pupil’s strengths, recognising that academic achievement is only
one measure of success.

The Senior School’s roll is currently 580 of which 110 are boarders. Class sizes are
small and the overall pupil-staff ratio of 9:1 enables Sutton Valence pupils to
benefit from the close guidance and individual attention of teachers. The academic
staff are all highly-qualified subject specialists.

Contained within the 100 acre site, there are dedicated games pitches, an all-
weather playing surface, a sports centre, which contains a fitness suite, an all-
weather athletics track and field sports arena and an indoor six-lane swimming
pool. Sutton Valence Preparatory School occupies its own site in the neighbouring
village of Chart Sutton and currently has 260 pupils between the ages of two and
11.

Vision, Mission and Ethos

Vision

Through membership of our community and the academic and co-curricular
opportunities it provides, we believe that all young people in our School will be
enabled to fulfil their true potential. We want our students to be confident
civilised, tolerant and open-minded individuals who possess a love of learning
and a strong set of values reflecting our principles as a Christian Foundation.

Our Mission is to provide:

• A caring, supportive and inclusive community for the education of

children aged 2-18, day and boarding;

• A challenging, relevant and broad curriculum delivered in ways that

allow all to achieve;

• An outstanding range of sporting, artistic, cultural and social activities,

and opportunities so that children can develop skills such as self-
discipline, commitment, leadership and teamwork;

• A safe, secure and stimulating environment which promotes excellence,

independence and high standards whilst providing support to all who
need it;

• A grounding in moral and spiritual understanding which will promote

respect for others, along with self-respect. 

Ethos

A community where each cares for all and individuality is cherished.

Sutton Valence School is an equal opportunities employer.

Sutton Valence School

North Street

Sutton Valence

Kent ME17 3HL

www.svs.org.uk

01622 845200

A member of The United Westminster and Grey Coat Foundation. Registered Charity No 1181012.

Location : Sutton Valence ME17

Closing Date : 1st September, 2023

HOW TO APPLY

Click Here to Submit your CV and Application on Company Website